Summer in Sardinia Travel Guide

2024 UPDATE: I am currently LIVING in Sardinia for the summer because I actually ended up continuing to talk to the winery owner I mentioned in the post…and we are now engaged! Check out this rom-com esque story about How I Got Engaged in Italy! And if you come to Sardinia this summer, send me an email or DM!

If you want to go to the best hidden gem in Italy, I would highly recommend doing summer in Sardinia! Surprisingly not a ton of people from the U.S. have even heard of Sardinia, which, I guess is good for us seasoned travelers who like to avoid crowds!

Recently I went to Sardinia (which is spelled “Sardegna” in Italian) in the peak of summer, and didn’t find the crowds bad at all! Beaches had a lot of people but nothing unbearable, especially since I spent most of my time in that crystal clear blue water!

I didn’t plan much ahead of time, I just had a general idea to stay in Palau because of the name, and to go to the small islands near it. Then a travel planner from Sardinia actually reached out on IG and asked if I wanted to collaborate with her and experience the area where she has a BnB she rents. Turns out it’s in one of the top up and coming destinations of year!

It’s been a year since that collaboration and I am currently back in Sardinia living with my fiance who I met during that trip! So I now have lots of insider tips for you!

So below is everything you need to know to plan your summer in Sardinia, or at least a week there anyway!

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Where is Sardinia?

Sardinia is an island (love) that is just west of mainland Italy. This is why it has so many glorious beaches and small islands!

How to get to Sardinia?

You have a couple of options, usually I try all of them to see which is cheapest. I always use Skyscanner to get the cheapest flight as well, and I try it from my phone and my laptop to see if there’s a difference in price.

Also, there are two main airports you can aim for. Either Cagliari or Olbia. I flew into Cagliari, but then had to drive 4 hours to get to my destination in Palau. So if you’re just planning to do the north coast area, I’d fly into Olbia.

• Option 1: Try searching flights directly to Sardinia. Depending where you want to go, or if you want to compare pricing, search Cagliari and then Olbia.
• Option 2: Fly into Rome and get a second connecting flight to Cagliari or Olbia.
• Option 3: If you happen to be in Sicily, there’s a fun little ferry through Grimaldi that takes you from Palermo to Cagliari. It also runs from Barcelona and Ibiza to the top part of the island!

How to Get Around Sardinia

I rented a car in Cagliari and drove up to the north end of the island. It was a pretty easy drive for half of it, but then the roads get very narrow and winding. If I did this trip again, I would fly into Olbia and rent a car from there.

There is a train that goes from Cagliari to Olbia as well, and of course buses. But in my opinion renting a car is essential. Especially if you want to go to the many beaches!

IMPORTANT NOTE: You need an International Driver’s Permit to drive in Italy! Easily get one online or in person at AAA for $20. I also recommend getting the damage insurance because they WILL find scratches!

Areas I Went to and Loved:

I am obviously now biased since I ended up moving to the Baunei/Ogliastra area (for a few months out of the year anyway, I’m still traveling full time and planning on staying at my new home in Mexico). But I love a few of the other areas here as well.

So I’m going to start this post explaining the places I’ve been to from the top to bottom of the east coast, in case you’d like to plan a summer in Sardinia roadtrip!

Palau (in Sardinia, not the country)

The first place in Sardinia I went to is called Palau, and I mostly went because of the name. Earlier that year I went to the country of Palau, so I thought it would be cool to go to another one in Italy! There’s a small town area in Palau with a couple of good restaurants (I liked Pasta e Vino), and even better was the one around the corner from it that faces the port, for their pistacchio pasta.

There’s also some really beautiful beaches in Palau! One is right next to the port, which has surprisingly clear waters considering all of the boats that are there. You can also walk further east (to the right if you’re looking at the water) and check out the dog beach! It’s less crowded of course, and there’s a cool forest there too.

I stayed at a big family hotel that I only really recommend because it’s pet-friendly, and because of the proximity to the beach and port. It’s called Club Esse, and again, mostly just convenient. The other thing I liked was they have a little restaurant and bar near the beach, but nothing super amazing.

From Palau you can find all of the boat tours for…….

La Maddalena Island

My initial main goal of going to Sardinia aside from beach hopping, was doing a boat tour around La Maddalena Island and the small uninhabited islands around it.

I would not recommend doing the cheap $50 boat trips because they pack like fifty people on those boats. Instead do a small group size sailboat tour. The one we found was $100 with only 10 people on it, and included lunch and unlimited drinks! They also offer snorkel gear!

The boat tour is absolutely stunning and spectacular! Just the bright blue clarity of water alone will take your breath away! Highly recommended!

Please consider using “reef safe sunscreen” if you go in the water in Sardinia, so that you don’t contribute to water contamination!

You can easily reserve tickets through sites like the one below, especially if you don’t speak Italian, but remember not to pay more than $100 for the sailboat! If you can speak a little Italian, you can try calling the companies for a better rate.

Costa Smeralda

Costa Smeralda is probably the most famous/popular area of Sardinia. It’s where all of celebrities and super rich people go, where the big luxury hotels are, but also some affordable hotel options as well! This is also one of the party capitols of the island! With world famous beach clubs and night clubs!

Located just above Olbia, it also makes it an ideal location as it’s just an hour or so drive from the Olbia airport. Below are the the things I did there:

Beaches Around Costa Smeralda

• Spiaggia Capriccioli (east and nord): where everyone goes thanks to it’s shallow water and white sand.
• Spiaggia Capriccioli (sud): less crowded but small little nooks, get there early to claim a spot
• Spiaggia del Principe: one of the most famous, but hard to get to and requires a hike
• Cala Romantica: small rocky beach with pretty views
• Spiaggia Cala Battistoni : in Baja Sardinia near the hotel I stayed at, there’s some cute restaurants on the promenade near it as well.

Porto Cervo

This is the super super fancy area, probably the fanciest I’ve seen in all of the places I’ve been to in Italy besides Capri! You can see mega yachts here and all of the top designer brands, including runway brands.

As you can probably imagine, it’s expensive AF but we actually found decent pricing and DELICIOUS food at Elit Promenade Cafe! If you’d like to also take home a local delicacy, go downstairs to Maison de la Bottarga and get a jar or whole piece of bottarga (monkfish roe).

Beach Clubs and Night Clubs

Full honesty, I didn’t go to any of these, because I went to Costa Smeralda in shoulder season when they weren’t open yet. But I hear amazing things about them, and also expensive things about them..

The main two I’ve heard people talk about are Phi Beach and Ritual Club. Make reservations in advance via their Instagrams.

Where I Stayed in Costa Smeralda

Unfortunately for my friend who came thinking it was summer in Sardinia, and expecting to go to Phi Beach, we didn’t get to go. And she had booked us a hotel near it with the intention of being able to walk to and from the club, since taxis are rare and expensive.

Anyway, that’s why we stayed in Baja Sardinia at Club Hotel Baja Sardinia . It was really beautiful, and walking distance to a beach, and promenade with cute, delicious restaurants. I really loved Baia Blue’s pasta salmone! Yummm!

Olbia

Olbia is one of the main cities in Sardinia that you fly into, and is a gateway to several of the best areas. To the north you have Costa Smeralda, and to the south you have Baunei and Ogliastra.

The city of Olbia itself is pretty modern, but they do have an “old town” which is where you’d want to go if you’re visiting. It’s near the Olbia port, and it has one main strip with a few side streets.

Restaurants and bars on this street are really cute, but a bit pricey. I opted to just do aperitivos to get some snacks, and then one big meal. Try looking for “Menu di giorno” or “menu of the day” to get some specials!

The beaches in Olbia are far from the town, and if you’re going to go, I’d recommend just driving up to Costa Smeralda.

There is also a boat tour I’ve heard great things about, that goes to Tavolara island!

APERITIVO SPOTS IN OLBIA

If you stroll down “Corso Umberto I” in the city center of Olbia, you will find tons of cute restaurants with outdoor seating that all have aperitivo! Some cute ones were:

• Glamour Cafe
• Ristorante Il Vecchio Porto (also had a good “Menu of the Day”)
• Mengo’s
• Osteria del Corso

Baunei Coast

Names of places are going to start getting confusing now. Because I mention “Baunei Coast” since it is most recognizable, however it is also right next to the rest of the places below, and you can get to it via those places.

Anyway, I had my eye on Baunei Coast after seeing it start to get highlighted on social media, and now I know there are several ways to see it!

You can take a sailboat, however most don’t let you swim to the popular beaches, or a “ganone” which is like a rubber boat, which will take you to them. You’ll have the option to leave from Cala Ganone, Santa Maria, or Arbatax.

If you like hiking, great news! You can also hike to the famous beaches and coves, as well as do the famous “Selvaggio Blu” (“wild blue) hike. But just a heads up; you might need a guide for that one!

Regardless, it is important to note that you cannot just drive up to the Baunei Coast. You either need a boat, or a long hike!

The famous beaches to see on the Baunei Coast are: Cala Luna, Cala Goloritze, Cala Longa, and the newly famous Cala Mariolu, which was just named #2 of 50 best beaches in the world in 2024!

OH!!! And there’s of course the actual town of Baunei! It has no view of the coast at all, but it’s a really cute old town, with delicious goats’ milk gelato. One of the many things people attribute to the long lives of people there.

Tortoli / Arbatax / Bari Sardo / Ogliastra

This is where it gets confusing so let me try to explain: Ogliastra is like the region, and then there are smaller towns like Tortoli, Arbatax, Bari Sardo, Santa Maria, and Girasole. There’s a lot more, but those are the ones I frequent these days.

Tortoli is the town where I had a last minute collaboration offer with Alessiadventures, and she had so many great things to say about it! I stayed in her two bedroom BnB which was absolutely FABULOUS, especially after staying in the musty outdated hotel in Palua!

Her BnB is right on the main strip of Tortoli, which is a little town filled with restaurants and shops! On Thursdays they shut the street down to cars and all of the restaurants have outdoor seating on the road. There’s also several DJs playing music, so plan to stay out late unless you want to just lay in bed unable to sleep!

Just a short drive towards the coast and you’ll find several beautiful beaches, and even a couple of “beach clubs”.

Some of my favorite beaches and “beach bar/restaurants” are:

• Lido Orri
• Maty Beach: Locanda Beach, Hakuna Matata
• Spiaggia il Golfetto
• Spiaggia Cea: Al Mari
• Annnnd the beach near my apartment which I am keeping a secret until we move to the winery

Favorite Spots for Aperitivo:

Aperitivo hours are usually around 6pm to 9pm! If you order a drink, you should get food, but some servers assume you don’t know about it, so if they don’t bring food, as for the aperitivo!

• La Bitta
• Aquachiara
• Bougainvillea Cafe
• Sunset
• Mood Cafe
• Carpe Diem

You’re also a short drive to the port, where boat tours also leave from! AlessiAdventure set up up on another sailboat tour, where I was actually offered the opportunity to help sail! We had a beautiful sail along the Baunei Coast, stopping in several secluded areas to swim and relax.

We also attempted to see a waterfall that streams into the sea, but there wasn’t much water there during summer. You can see it better in spring! Regardless, what we did not see, was many other boats! Unlike La Maddallena where many boats were out, it felt like we were the only ones in this hidden paradise!

Wineries in Ogliastra

I’d also highly recommend going to Gebelias winery! It’s only about 10 minutes from Tortoli and the wine there is incredible! You can also enjoy the vineyard views and the cool stories behind each wine region and bottle. Many include pirates! Be sure to tell Nicola the owner that Alyssa said ciao!

***2024 Update: I ended up getting engaged to Nico, and we now live at the winery. Def check out that engagement story I mentioned at the top! Also check out the irony of the caption of the photo above.

Cagliari

Cagliari is the main city of Sardinia and it’s located at the south end of the island. There aren’t really nice beaches there compared to up north, but there is a bigger city than the rest of the areas I went to, and it was really vibrant and poppin’.

If you happen to stay in Cagliari, I’d recommend Cagliari Suites. It was a very affordable price and a great location.

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xx, Alyssa